LAS VEGAS, NV- From doors to mattresses to in-room entertainment and technology, the HD 2004 Expo & Conference held here was the place to be for architects and designers looking for the latest in hotel design. On the packaged terminal air conditioners front, Whirlpool was showing off its entry into the lodging industry with a new PTAC unit, comprising of four models ranging from 7,500 BTUs to 15,000 BTUs. “The biggest feature hoteliers are looking for is quiet,” said Steve Kudrick, national sales manager, PTAC & Hospitality Products for Whirlpool. “These new units offer that and are dehumidifiers as well.” When it comes to PTAC, bigger is not always better and a common mistake hotels make is buying too big a unit for their guestrooms, he said. Kudrick said some hotel brands have already shown some interest in Whirlpool’s new PTAC units including La Quinta and Drury Inns. Meanwhile, Serta used HD Expo to show off its new Fireblocker mattress line. Serta believes the fire retardant mattresses will eventually become a safety standard in the lodging industry and Serta wants to be ahead of the curve, according to Robert Malin, vp/president of merchandizing for Serta. “By 2005, we will meet or exceed all standards for our entire line,” he said, adding mattresses are many times the fuel source for a room fire and the biggest challenge Serta faced was to design the Fireblocker line without giving up any comfort. For in-room technology and entertainment Global Business Center Inc. unveiled an agreement with Dell Computer Corp. in which Dell will provide hardware and services for the launch of GBCblue Guestroom Business Center, a complete and functional computer-based guestroom amenity. Dell’s Professional Services application team designed the application solution supporting the Guestroom Business Center, according to Victor Alikin, CEO of GBCblue. The software includes guestroom computer and server-based application development and integration, Alikin said. A bunch of hotels have already shown interest in the guestroom computer system including the Drake Hotel in Chicago and the Courtyard by Marriott in Portland, WA, to name a few, according to Alikin. Dell’s Deployment Services will also provide automated, custom hard drive image definition, allowing the desktops to arrive at a hotel ready for immediate deployment. And because of the company’s network operating center (NOC), GBCblue can monitor guest usage and only charge hotels for the rooms installed and when a guest is actually using the system, Alikin said. For its part, Trustile Doors was showing off its new collection of stain-grade wood doors, handcrafted using authentic stile-and-rail construction. The doors are available in 12 wood species and unlimited sizing options, said Chuck Tamblyn, director of marketing at Trustile. The company is providing 10,000 custom doors to Wynn Resorts for its new Las Vegas resort project, he said.
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